 R-Truth Confronted The Judgment Day; Truth def. JD McDonagh in a Miracle on 34th Street FightTruth thinking he's a member of Judgment Day is one of the best things going on the red brand right now. It's similar to Sami Zayn and The Bloodline from last year, but this is obviously more comedic. Truth is hilarious, man. He was also the perfect person to put in the annual Miracle on 34th Street Fight (which I always enjoy because I'm a mark for Christmas). It was fun and harmless. It was made clear later on by Damian Priest that McDonagh is still in Judgment Day (for now). Nia Jax Agreed to Face Becky Lynch on the Day 1 Edition of RawLynch and Jax once again exchanged words, and although their dueling promos last week were stronger, this was still a solid segment that effectively set up their upcoming encounter. Lynch was willing to have an impromptu match with her here and Jax teased accepting, only to refuse and make it official for the Day 1 edition of Raw instead. She got good heel heat for that. I'm glad they didn't give it away on a whim. On a side note, Jax officially declared herself for the women's Royal Rumble and I imagine Lynch will do the same after she beats Jax. Intercontinental Champion Gunther def. The Miz in a Last Chance MatchPer the stipulation, Miz can now no longer challenge Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship as long as he's champion. This was even better than their Survivor Series match. The crowd was very much behind Miz throughout and he played the underdog role exceptionally well. I didn't think Miz was winning but there were some pretty suspenseful nearfalls down the stretch. Gunther brings everyone to another level when that title is on the line and this was no exception. Props to Miz for having his best match in recent memory. Cody Rhodes and Shinsuke Nakamura BrawledNakamura's rendition of "The American Nightmare Before Christmas" had some questionable lines, but it was a clever concept to further their feud after Nakamura misted Rhodes in their match last week. I thought that was it, but I liked how Rhodes found Nakamura in the back and brawled with him to ringside. The crowd was into it and it left viewers looking forward to when they face off next. It won't be on the Day 1 edition of Raw, but it's possible the Texas Bull Rope match they're having at a house show next week could be a preview of what we'll be getting from them on television soon, potentially at the Royal Rumble if they wanted to wait that long. Katana Chance and Kayden Carter def. Chelsea Green and Piper Niven to Win the WWE Women's Tag Team ChampionshipYou had to assume the tag titles were changing here because, well, who was left for Green and Niven to defend against? Chance and Carter aren't interesting as characters, but they're a legitimate team and it was a cool moment for them. It was a nice match while it lasted. I don't think Chance and Carter's reign will last long if The Kabuki Warriors intend to chase the titles soon based on what they said on SmackDown last week. Ivar def. Akira TozawaTozawa apparently asked Adam Pearce for this match. I'm not sure what purpose this was supposed to serve other than to give Ivar a rebound win following his recent loss to Bronson Reed. At least it was booked as a simple squash for Ivar with Tozawa getting in a few hope spots. Hopefully this isn't leading to a mixed tag team match with Ivar and Valhalla against Tozawa and Maxxine Dupri. Drew McIntyre Attacked World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" RollinsThe Rollins character is a strange case in that he comes out dressing and acting like a goof but will get serious when he needs to. I wish it was more of the latter, but he knocks it out of the park when it matters most. Last week was CM Punk, this week was McIntyre, but I actually thought McIntyre cut the better promo of the two because there was so much truth to what he said. McIntyre's mic work during this latest run of his has been stellar. This was top-notch stuff from these two to build toward their World Heavyweight Championship clash in two weeks. Honestly, I'd have McIntyre beat Rollins for the belt, if only for a brief reign. Imperium Attacked Kofi Claus; Jey Uso def. Ludwig KaiserKofi Kingston popped up multiple times throughout the show dressed as Santa Claus giving away gifts. That led to Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci attacking him at ringside and Jey making the save. This was clearly filler, but Jey is over enough where the crowd didn't seem to mind and it was a quality contest for what it was. I get the feeling Jey will be treading water until he enters the men's Royal Rumble. Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions The Judgment Day (Finn Balor and Damian Priest) def. The Creed BrothersEven with new WWE Women's Tag Team Champions being crowned earlier in the evening, I thought there was a chance we could get new Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions, too. That didn't happen, but I'm not disappointed it didn't because it probably would've been too soon for The Creeds. They once again had an impressive performance in what was an entertaining main event. Julius Creed kicking out right after the three count was weird, so I don't know if that was intentional (to protect him in defeat) or if it was a botch/miscommunication. Overall ShowWhile not on the same level as last week's excellent episode, but this was still a thumbs-up show on the whole. It had the usual holiday campiness (which was kept to a minimum), but it was carried by the three title matches, one of those titles changing hands, and that standout segment with Rollins and McIntyre. There was also successful build for the Day 1 edition of Raw in two weeks, all but confirming that next week's Christmas show will be a "best of" edition (and thus no review from yours truly). Happy holidays!
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